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Bilkey 6 in Europe

March - April 2023
A 32-day adventure by Rowan, Sarah, Tom and 3 others Read more
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  • Bilkey 6 in Europe
    Day 19

    Greek Islands!

    April 17, 2023 in Greece ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

    The hurly burly of the holiday is behind us, we've had such a good time catching up with family and friends, but we'd deliberately made the second half of our trip less involved, so we could relax and focus on ourselves and our surroundings.

    We'd had a beautiful welcome from Thodoris when we arrived at his apartment the night before. Today was just about checking out the ancient town on Chania. We walked down to the old town and soaked in the view across the walled harbour. We walked along the protective wall sheltering the harbour out to the lighthouse.

    Chania is known for its 14th-century Venetian harbour, narrow streets and waterfront restaurants. At the harbour entrance is a 16th-century lighthouse with Venetian, Egyptian and Ottoman influences. The city has a long history, and many flags have flown over the city. Examples of ancient Greek, mythology, Islamic and Christian influences can be seen throughout the city.

    The sun was shining and we were soaking up the warmth. We grabbed a table overlooking the water and enjoyed the Greek fare. After a slow walk back up the hill to our apartment, we did exactly what we planned for this part of the trip, relaxed. An early night and ready for tomorrow's adventures!    Read more

  • Bilkey 6 in Europe
    Day 20

    Palace of Knossos

    April 18, 2023 in Greece ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    To satisfy Campbell's fascination, we needed to check out some Greek Mythology. The beauty about Greek Mythology (and I'm sure many other cultures' myths and legends) is that it is myths, legends, fiction and stories all intertwined with reality. The part that I find so fascinating is the long-lasting impact these legends have on our lives today.

    For instance, there's the story of Theseus, who was the son of the King of Athens, Aegeus. He had many adventures; one saw him sail across the seas at the request of his father. He sailed south to Crete to slay the Minotaur which was trapped in the labyrinth below Knossos (that's a whole other story). Chicks dig guys who can slay Minotaurs, and as such, the Cretan Princess Ariadne fell hard for Theseus. She was the daughter of King Minos, and Theseus promised to take her back to Athens and marry her. However, he left her stranded on the island of Naxos. What a jerk. Dionysus, another character, found Ariadne and married her. He threw her crown into the sky and that's how we got the constellation the Corona Borealis.

    Meanwhile, Theseus continues back to Athens, victorious after his bullfight. His old man is waiting for him, but forgetful Theseus forgot to change the sails on his ship from black to white, a prearranged signal to his father that he was returning in good health. Aegeus saw the black sails approach over the horizon and assumed his son had died on the expedition. With no other explanation obviously apparent to Aegeus, he hurled himself off the palace clifftop and into the ocean to his death. A bit of an over-exaggeration, maybe just wait until the ship docks??

    And that is where the name the Aegean Sea comes from. Pretty cool. Side note, Theseus went on to build the Acropolis in Athens. More on that in a few days.

    Back to present day, we set off early and jumped on a bus which would take us along the Cretan coast to the town of Heraklion and the Palace of Knossos. The scenery along the journey was stunning. When we arrived we spent a good few hours touring the site with our tour guide and heard all about the fact and fiction. Campbell, and the other boys, lapped it up. We walked down the oldest paved road in Greece (and possibly in Europe) and then were dropped back into the main town for an hour's free time.

    We wandered through the ancient streets of Heraklion, capital of Crete and stumbled upon a lane with a small restaurant called Made with Love. We found a few seats inside and hungrily accepted the home cooked food from the Greek Nonna's inside. It was arguably the best food we experienced in Greece.

    With full bellies, we checked out the town's museum with artefacts from thousands of years ago. Sarah took her time in the museum while the boys and Rowan flowed through a little quicker. We headed across the road to a playground for the boys to expel some energy before the long bus ride back to Chania.

    Exhausted, we got some takeaway pizza from around the corner. Tom's run of having pizza in each country continues....    Read more

  • Bilkey 6 in Europe
    1
    Day 21

    Chania

    April 19, 2023 in Greece ⋅ 🌬 18 °C

    Today was a down day without much activity. Last night’s movie night encouraged everyone to have a sleep in. Rowan was the first to wake and grabbed a towel and made his way down to the city beach. With only one other man in the water, it wasn’t a great advertisement for the temperature. A quick dip in the refreshing water was all that was required.

    The location we had picked for our apartment was half a block from the Chania National Stadium. I use those words lightly. A reasonable running track surrounded an average soccer field.

    As always, the boys were keen to spend their energy, so we took the Ampelman football over and tried to find some kids to have a kick with. We were unsuccessful in that venture, however the boys had fun running 400’s and 800’s around the track. Campbell has set his sites on the Olympics for 800’s and Fred surprised us all, completing two full laps without stopping. He didn’t break any world records, but he kept at it and got it done in reasonable time. Good effort.

    We also went back into the ‘old town’ of Chania and went shopping. I bought a beautiful ring and earring set - early Mother’s Day present. The ring shows a copy of the Phaistos Disc - from a Minoan Palace in Crete. Campbell spent some of his birthday money and Fred used the last of his money to buy a bracelet of ‘protecting eyes’ - protection against curses.

    We then let the boys head back to the apartment and Row and I went to a local cafe, to enjoy the sun and a beer.    Read more

  • Bilkey 6 in Europe
    Day 22

    Sfakia, Aradena Gorge and Marmara Beach

    April 20, 2023 in Greece ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    This was a day we were all looking forward to. Our second day trip in Crete would take us to the south coast. I don’t think any coastal town would have been a bad option, but we chose the right option for us.

    Sfakia is a small town thst looks out over the Mediterranean towards Libya in North Africa. It played a role in WWII and the Battle of Crete, being the final departure point for Allied soldiers when the Germans captured the strategically significant island. There is a memorial to Australian, Kiwi and British soldiers in the tiny port that we were keen to see.

    We were meant to have an hour or so wondering around the port, however we made one or two stops for Fred along the way, along the mountain pass, as his breakfast decided to come up and say hello again. We had puréed strawberry through the back seat of the hire van. The driver was very good, and stopped again ten minutes later when Fred went off like a fountain again…

    We eventually made it to Sfakia, just in time to jump on our water taxi. We left the port and headed out into open waters. The sun was warm and the boys loved the wind in their hair. Eventually the even tinier port of Marmara came into view, and we slowly pulled into port. It was essentially a cafe overlooking an isolated beach with one or two local houses. Perfect.

    We alighted and made our way up the Aradena Gorge. Tom had quipped a few weeks ago that photos of the gorge looked like ‘the bumcrack of Crete.” It was hard to argue. However, once you enter the crack, it was pretty spectacular.

    We walked up the gorge for 2-3km, admiring the rocky walls that towered either side of us. Mountain goats perched delicately on ledges they had no right balancing on. We explored caves and were fortunate to not see the dreaded Gorge Monster.

    Eventually the path took a steep incline, and hikers heading the other direction spoke of metal ladders and gangways. We felt we’d hiked enough for the day and turned around in search of a swim.

    We returned to Marmara and stripped off. Despite having the beach almost exclusively to ourselves, Tom was conscious getting changed. The water was aqua in colour, like a postcard. A little cooler than ideal, but nevertheless refreshing and fine once you were in. Tom and I explored some caves that were only accessible by swimming, and eventually the other boys found an alternative route across the rocks. The only way back though was to jump from a big rock back into the cold water. Something both Tom and Jack found a big challenge. Sarah, happily helped when needed to get Fred there and back from the rocks, but spent the rest of the time just swimming in the water, I think she could have stayed in the water all afternoon.

    Once we’d all had our swim, we warmed up again in the sun before walking to the top of the cliff for lunch. It was really an idyllic spot to eat octopus, prawns and an assortment of other equally tasty Greek offerings, all accompanied by a bottle of local white. Bliss.

    Eventually, we needed to call our taxi again and sail back to Sfakia. The drive home was far less eventful (thankfully) than the first drive. We arrived home that afternoon spent, but full of memories. This was one of the best days of the whole trip.    Read more

  • Bilkey 6 in Europe
    Day 23

    Final Day in Chania

    April 21, 2023 in Greece ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C

    Our final day in Chania was a Friday. We had a boat to catch in the evening from the nearby port of Souda which would take us overnight to Athens. Crete had been a highlight of the trip, and we spent our last day wandering the streets of the old town one more time.

    After we checked out of the apartment, the boys wanted to head back to the Athletic track to run around, so while Row took them there, I was craving a fresh juice so headed towards a small group of shops in the hopes of finding one - I was in luck and came back to the track with three different concoctions and 6 straws. After we slowly made our way down to the harbour again and had some lunch. We ordered way too much food (if that's even a thing) and enjoyed the view across the water. The Chania Maritime Museum was just next door, so we checked it out. It was an amazing account of Chania's history, from Alexander the Great, the Battle of Crete during WWII, right through to the 2004 Athens Olympics.

    We had a few hours to kill before we needed to catch our ferry, so naturally the boys wanted to find somewhere to kick a ball. We headed to the main stadium again and gatecrashed a few more local kids' game of football.

    Finally, we made our way to the port. We weren't quite sure what to expect from this ferry but it was far more impressive than we allowed ourselves to think. Fred's comment summed it up. "Why don't we just have our whole holiday on this boat?"

    After checking into our cabins, we went to the dining room and had dinner. The boat pulled out of Souda port at 10pm, and we enjoyed the cool air as we made our way out of the harbour and north towards Athens. The ride was smooth sailing, and we were all rocked gently to sleep, dreaming about Athens to come.    Read more

  • Bilkey 6 in Europe
    Day 24

    Welcome to Athens!

    April 22, 2023 in Greece ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    Our ship docked in Pireas Harbour at approximately 6am. We all slept well and were ready to check out the Cradle of Democracy.

    We couldn't check in straight away, so we left our bags at the reception of the apartment and headed out to stretch our legs. We hadn't walked far before coming across the Temple of Zeus, and Hadrian's Archway. Some pretty amazing monuments dating back nearly 3000 years. We continued up into the Plaka district and got ourselves lost in the winding, narrow, enchanting laneways. Fred needed to make a phone call, and we eventually found somewhere for breakfast.

    We continued wandering without a fixed destination before we got to an area for the kids to have a play. Tom thought it would be a good idea to spin Fred on the play equipment until he had whiplash... It was getting closer to check in time, so we started to head back to the apartment to get our bags and settle in. Our apartment was in the Koukaki district, just south of the main attractions. It's not the most glamourous suburb, but it had a cool vibe of an area that's being gentrified, with nice cafes, shops, old men spending hours solving the world's problems over thick coffee and thicker cigars. Our apartment was a spacious three-bedder across the road from a playground and basketball court. The afternoon and evening were spent relaxing and a home cooked pasta meal and a movie finished our day off nicely.    Read more

  • Bilkey 6 in Europe
    Day 25

    Panathenaic Stadium

    April 23, 2023 in Greece ⋅ 🌙 12 °C

    We decided to brave the Athens bus network, and jumped on the 15 northbound on Siggrou Ave, heading towards the Panathenaic Stadium. This was a site that we were very keen to see, and I must say, was a bit of a hidden gem.

    The stadium was originally built some 2300 years ago, but went through various periods of disrepair and rebuilt. It is the world's only stadium built of marble which makes for a stunning contrast to the black running track in the centre. We followed the audio guide supplied to us and sat on the thrones where kings and dignitaries sat at various events over the years, including in 1896, where the site held the first Modern Olympic Games.

    Making our way into a cave-like tunnel, we heard about the ancient women that would dance naked around flames in the hopes of being blessed with fertility by the Goddess Demeter. No naked women appeared during our tour.

    After viewing the posters and olympic torches for each of the Games over the past 130 years, we walked back down the tunnel and back onto the arena. It was fun to imagine the roar of the crowd as you emerge onto the track, ready to compete. The boys did exactly that, having a series of 100m handicap races, although someone always complained that I didn't get the handicaps right.

    Inspired by the Olympic spirit, we left the stadium and headed over the road to the National Botanic Gardens. We found a huge playground and the boys enjoyed an hour or more running around, meeting other kids and spending their energy.

    It was close to dinner time by the time we left, and we made our way back over to Plaka to find a suitable establishment. Walking up alleyways, we came across a restaurant in the shadow of the Parthenon and settled in. The food and and wine were terrific, the view was outstanding. We were living the life.    Read more

  • Bilkey 6 in Europe
    Day 26

    Up the hill to the Acropolis

    April 24, 2023 in Greece ⋅ 🌙 12 °C

    When in Athens, you must head up the Acropolis to see the Parthenon. Or is it the Pantheon? We continuously got ourselves in knots over which one was the Greek temple and which the Roman. At least, I got myself in knots....

    Whichever one it was, we were checking it out today. We had our tickets booked online, however families of six don't always fit the standard definition of family in ticketing websites, so we arrived and explained we couldn't "buy" the two free under ten tickets online. The lady at the turnstile said "No problem. Go to the front of that line and she will give you two tickets for the young ones."

    "That line" was a 50m queue of impatient tourists waiting to buy tickets. I sheepishly went to the front and, apologising to the gentleman that was next, asked if I could get two free tickets for our youngest. The process took longer than it should have, and I felt more and more eyes on me as we waited. Eventually however, we got ourselves inside.

    We made our way up the southern slope, stopping occasionally to read about the various buildings and ruins on the slopes of the rock. The Theatre of Dionysus, the world's first temple, and the Odeon of Herodes Atticus, a theatre that still hosts performances today, 2000 years after it's first showing

    By the time we reached the main platform of the Acropolis, we felt a little like sheep being herded through a stockyard. We reached the small Temple of Athena Nike and made our way through the imposing Propylaea, the entrance to the main platform of the rock. It was a little difficult to stop and admire the structure, but we did our best. The Parthenon appeared in front of us and we took it in as we walked past. While restoration and reconstruction works continue and have done for the past 40 years, it's not hard to imagine the building in its glory, a huge imposing structure casting its great shadow over the city.

    We continued to check out the various temples, statues and sculptures. eventually, we had made our way around the space and started to head for the stairs. On our way down we encountered a Spartan. Fortunately Fred and Cam were on hand with their swords ready to defend us. At a cost of 5 euros....

    After seeing the Acropolis in the flesh, we made our way to the Acropolis Museum, located just south of the hill. It's an extremely well presented museum with the majority of artefacts, recovered sculptures and frescos from the acropolis now housed there. Perhaps most impressive was the full reconstruction of the two pediments from the Parthenon. The pediments are the triangular groups of sculptures that sit over the eastern and western entrances to the temple. One depicts the birth of Athena who emerged fully grown from the mouth of her father, Zeus. The other depicts the battle between Athena and Poseidon for the affection of the people of Greece. Legend has it that Poseidon struck the ground on top of the Acropolis with his Trident and formed a spring for the people, however it produced salty sea water, which the people were none too pleased about. Athena's gift to the people was the first olive tree, from which all olive trees in Greece descend (and there's a lot). The people approved. They appointed Athena as their patron and named the city in her honour.

    Culturally satisfied, we left the museum and walked home. The boys had a play and a kick at the park before we made our way to Geor. Olimidou, a tree-lined pedestrian strip near our apartment with a bustling cafe and restaurant scene. Dinner was again fantastic and nicely finished off with a few shots of raki to help the digestion as the locals will readily tell you.    Read more

  • Bilkey 6 in Europe
    Day 27

    Anzac Day in Athens

    April 25, 2023 in Greece ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C

    In previous years, the Australian Embassy in Greece had acknowledged Anzac Day and the connection between Greece and the Anzacs in previous wars with a memorial service in Athens. We had hoped they would do similar this year, however my enquiries with the embassy were unsuccessful. Eventually they announced they would hold a ceremony on May 2 on the island on Lemnos, a key site from WWI near the entrance to the Dardanelles of Turkey.

    No matter, we decided it would be an appropriate day to get to the tomb of the unknown soldier, which sits outside the Greek Parliament. Two Greek soldiers guard the space. My understanding is that they are graduates of John Cleese’s Academy of Silly Walks. The boys were really excited to see it. (Refer photo of excited looking boys).

    We all know Sarah loves to chat to strangers, and she found one in the young soldier who was walking around in regular military uniform not the ‘original’ uniform. She quizzed him on what era the unknown soldier was from and also chatted to him about Australia ‘the other Greek country’. This connection than allowed her to get a photo of him next to Tom.

    We had previously missed our stop on the bus and overshot the parliament building. It was a fortunate misadventure as we ended up exiting the bus right in front of the Athens Academy. A beautiful neoclassical building with two large columns topped with Athena and Apollo.

    Guarding the entrance staircase is none other than Socrates and Plato. In fact, while the current building dates to the 1800’s, it is often referred to as Plato’s Academy and believed to be the oldest educational facility in the world, dating back to around 400BC. The text books need a bit of updating since then though…

    It was a small day in sightseeing compared to others. We were all getting a little tourist weary, and could see the end of our journey getting closer. However, Rowan had wanted to enter a small church whilst in Greece to compare it to the large one we had visited in Crete, we found one as we slowly made our way back to our apartment - it was beautiful inside and whilst it was a Greek Orthodox Church now, it had been an Islamic place of worship during the Ottoman period.

    After ‘dragging the kids into a church’ we promised them a drink and chips to give them energy to make it home. It must be pointed out that Jack has turned into a major ‘tea drinker’, he drank it before we left Australia but really fell in love with it whilst travelling, to the point that he would order that over anything else. Sarah liked to call him ‘the 80 year old in an 8 year old's body.

    Tomorrow would be our last day in Europe. Tom’s efforts at having pizza in every location continued at dinner, at a restaurant called Grandpas. I’m sure they were all cooked in a Thermomix with the recipes followed to the letter.    Read more

  • Bilkey 6 in Europe
    Day 28

    Last day in Europe!

    April 26, 2023 in Greece ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    Our final day in Europe, and again, we decided on a fairly quiet one. We had not yet checked out the Ancient Agora of Athens, a site that, back in the day contained a host of temples, stoas, village houses and even a jail.

    It’s housed in a park at the foot of the Acropolis and it’s main thoroughfare the Panathenaic Way, was once the main road leading to the Acropolis.
    The Temple of Hephaestus is the best preserved temple in the whole Acropolis area and gives an excellent understanding of how these buildings were used. It’s namesake, Hephaestus was the patron god of metal working and pottery, and a number of blacksmiths workshops and potters shops in the same area, hence his temple being nearby.

    The other major landmark is the reconstructed stoa. A stoa is a large, long building, two storey in this instance, built for the people to have an open space to come and congregate out of the heat of the sun, or from the rain. It’s a communal space for catching up with friends. It also contained a number of shops and stores, so it’s effectively a precursor to Westfields, just without a movie theatre. It was fully reconstructed in the 1950’s and now houses the museum for the Agora site.

    Our last walk through Plaka allowed the boys to have one more quick game of hopscotch, before we went home to face the task of packing suitcases… we were on the move again in the morning…    Read more

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